Second-Gen Hyundai Palisade Debuts as Marque’s New Flagship SUV

The second-gen Hyundai Palisade breaks cover as the ICE-powered counterpart to the flagship Ioniq 9 EV SUV.

Hyundai has been busy updating its current SUV lineup, and it seems most of them have followed the automaker’s bolder design language. The same goes for the all-new, second-gen Palisade, as the ICE-powered flagship SUV also gains the same bold and boxy design cues we’ve seen on its EV twin.

Revealed in its native South Korean market earlier this month, the second-gen Palisade trades its predecessor’s slightly curvaceous bodystyle for a more upright and chiselled one, so much so that it now looks closer to the new, fifth-gen Santa Fe. Up front, the new Palisade gains a massive front grille with horizontal slats, which is flanked by a pair of vertically-mounted LED lights.

The boxy theme continues as we get to the side profile, as the new Palisade looks sharper and bolder with clean lines and a commanding facade, while its longer wheelbase and the shorter front overhang make it look proportionately better than the previous-gen model. Adding some upmarket vibe to the SUV are a slew of aluminium accents and trims, blacked-out pillars, as well as the large 21-inch alloy wheels it rolls on.

While Hyundai has yet to give the exact dimensions of the new Palisade, the SUV looks noticeably larger than its predecessor, so we can expect its overall length to exceed the 5-metre mark by a healthy margin at least.

The gentrification of the Palisade continues as we get inside, with the next-gen model gaining a slew of new luxurious amenities and tech equipment. For starters, the new dual 12.3-inch screens look like they were ripped straight from the Ioniq 9, while the central console has been decluttered as the gear shifter has been moved to behind the steering wheel. And just like any other Hyundais of late, the new Palisade still retains some physical buttons and dials for essential controls such as the climate and drive mode selector.

The cabin is also engulfed in tons of premium upholstery material supplemented by some wood veneers and trims, thus bringing the new Palisade closer to some of the models under Hyundai’s luxury marque, Genesis.

What’s interesting about the new Palisade is that Hyundai claims that this large SUV will be offered in a 9-seater version spread across three rows of seats. This is achievable thanks to the modular central console that allows a third seat to be fitted in the front row a la Japanese kei cars. However, there are no images or videos shown by the automaker regarding this setup, so your guess is just as good as ours.

Hyundai has also been quiet about the powertrain details for the new Palisade, but multiple sources online, including CarScoops, suggested that the large SUV might be offered with the same 3.5-litre V6 petrol mill as its predecessor, alongside a new hybrid variant powered by a 2.5-litre 4-cyl petrol engine. No news of whether the new Palisade will be offered with a 2.2-litre turbodiesel variant like its predecessor.

Sales for the all-new, second-gen Hyundai Palisade are slated to commence soon in its native South Korean market, with other international markets expected to follow suit sometime later next year.